Air Charter International

Air Charter

IATA ICAO Callsign SF ACF AIR CHARTER
Founded	1966
Ceased operations	1998
Hubs	Paris-Orly Airport
Fleet size	6 (in Oct. 1998)
Destinations	international
Headquarters	Paris, France

Boeing 727 in 1981

Air Charter International Boeing 737-200.

A Boeing 737-500 in an Air Charter/ EAS Europe Airlines hybrid livery at Dublin Airport in 1993.

Air Charter was a French charter airline that operated from 1966 to 1998.

Foundation

Air Charter International Caravelle III in 1971

Air Charter was a subsidiary of Air France and was established on 7 February 1966 under the name SAFA - Societé Aérienne Française d'Affrètements. Flight operations began on 25 July 1966 with two Sud Caravelle and two Lockheed Super Constellation aircraft. These flew charters from Paris to the Mediterranean.

Change to Air Charter International

The airline changed its name on 8 December 1969 to Air Charter International (ACI). In 1971 ACI operated a fleet of seven Caravelle and carried about 420.000 passengers. The first two Boeing 727-200 were introduced in 1972. Transatlatic charter flights to the USA and Canada were offered from 1982 onwards with leased Boeing 747-200 aircraft operated by Air France. Six SE-210 (Super Caravelle 10B3) were leased from EAS (Europe Aéro Service) until 1992 (F-GELP / F-BJEN / F-BJTU / F-BMKS / F-GDFY / F-GDFZ).

Late history and closure

In 1984 the airline name was shortened to Air Charter. As the business grew, the first widebody aircraft was introduced in 1988, the Airbus A300B4. Two Boeing 737-200 from EAS Europe Aéro Service on 1988 (F-GEXI and F-GEXJ) By the mid-1990s, the 727s were replaced by the Airbus A320. With the merger of Air France and Air Inter in 1998, Air Charter had served its purpose and services were discontinued on 24 October 1998.

Fleet details

Aircraft used in Air Charter colours:

• Airbus A300B4-203
• Airbus A310-324
• Airbus A320-200
• Boeing 727-200 leased from Europe Aéro Service
• Boeing 737-200, 737-400 and 737-500 leased from Europe Aéro Service
• Sud Aviation Caravelle III and 10B (10B3 leased from Europe Aéro Service)

Other aircraft used by Air Charter:

• Boeing 747-200 leased from Air France
• Dassault Mercure leased from Air Inter
• Fokker F-28 leased from Touraine Air Transport (TAT)
• Lockheed Super Constellation leased from Air France